Chapter 13

"Any information would be of great help to me if you could tell me."

As soon as he finished speaking, the women started talking one after another. They were ready to explain everything from the missing people's household items to the number of spoons and chopsticks in their homes.

Cheong-ra collected information about the missing persons in this way, visiting places where people gathered in large numbers. Through his experience of traveling around the Central Plains a few years ago, he knew very well that his appearance was particularly good at easing people's wariness and was an effective means of hearing intimate stories.

Moreover, since he was a man and had a high reputation as a chivalrous hero, no one even suspected him of using seduction tactics. The information he collected directly in this way differed in quality and quantity from what he could access through the Beggar Sect. Thanks to this, Cheong-ra was able to find suspicious points in the Dragon Spring spirit beast attack case.

First, there were people who had disappeared regardless of the spirit beast's attack. Second, a significant number of the missing or dead people were regulars at a place called Plum Blossom Inn [TL: Inn here includes restaurant].

And that Plum Blossom Inn was said to have been half-destroyed and closed down during the spirit beast's attack. It was too much of a coincidence to simply dismiss, as there were very few customers who frequented Plum Blossom Inn on a regular basis. When asked if there were any places the missing people often went to or if there were any strange behaviors, a woman living near Plum Blossom Inn recalled with a doubtful face, otherwise the information would have been buried.

"Come to think of it, the lady who lived across from me often went to an inn, and it was a bit strange."

"Isn't it common for people to frequent inns?"

"That's true, but the food at that house is really bad."

Other women chimed in, saying that the food and drinks at the inn were so bad that it was surprising it hadn't gone out of business. Then, one by one, testimonies emerged that other missing persons had also visited that inn at least twice. Cheong-ra's eyes sharpened.

Plum Blossom Inn, the disappearance of regulars who used it. And they happened to be the people who disappeared during the spirit beast's attack...

However, Cheong-ra couldn't figure out what the connection was between the spirit beast living deep in the mountains and the closed-down Plum Blossom Inn. There was a limit to how much more he, as an outsider, could find out about the deeper circumstances. As he organized the information he had obtained and slowly walked, Cheong-ra flinched and quickly turned around.

It felt like someone's gaze was on him. However, all he could see were young ladies and women blushing at the sight of him, and people who had come to see the Moonlight Flashing Sword.

"...Is it my imagination?"

After checking his surroundings once more just in case, Cheong-ra returned to the Dragon Gate Sect and immediately went to see the sect leader Shim Ryang. When he informed him of the facts he had discovered, deep wrinkles formed on the sect leader's face.

Since things had come this far, the Dragon Gate Sect must have also conducted an investigation, but surprisingly, he seemed to have no knowledge of Plum Blossom Inn. It was a puzzling situation for Cheong-ra.

"Plum Blossom Inn might be related to this matter..."

"Sect Leader, you were also unaware of it?"

At Cheong-ra's question, Shim Ryang deeply sighed. Judging by his furrowed brows and complexion, it seemed to be a problem with his subordinates. If it was an internal issue within the sect, it would be rude for an outsider like himself to mention it, so he quickly changed the subject.

"Anyway, in my opinion, it was too strange to be simply a coincidence."

"It's certainly strange for a coincidence. I will look into it deeply. But for now, dealing with the spirit beast is the most urgent matter."

The reason Moon Lake Sect had sent Cheong-ra was that he was a skilled expert who could sufficiently handle the spirit beast. However, even if Cheong-ra wanted to help, it was troublesome that the spirit beast had run away before he could do so. Cheong-ra pondered for a moment and then spoke to the sect leader.

"What if we do the opposite, Sect Leader?"

"The opposite?"

A moment later, after hearing Cheong-ra's suggestion, Sect Leader Shim Ryang readily nodded and accepted Cheong-ra's plan.

***

Lim Jeong swallowed his dry saliva nervously. The other junior brothers were just as tense, so Cheong-ra comforted them well.

"Don't be too nervous, Junior Brother. You should always maintain a calm state of mind."

"Y-Yes... I will be calm, calm."

Lim Jeong muttered and took a few deep breaths. Cheong-ra recalled the times when he went on chivalrous journeys with Gong Hyeok-rin, Song Geum-hye, and Ju Mu-gwang. Compared to that time, the junior brothers who were trembling with tension were quite cute, but at the same time, he felt a sense of responsibility.

"Never overdo it. If you feel like it's too much, retreat immediately."

The junior brothers nodded their heads. After waiting in the warehouse for some time, soon the sound of a beast's rough breathing and heavy footsteps were heard along with a growling noise. It was just as expected. Cheong-ra's eyes sharpened and sank heavily.

'If there's a high possibility that the regulars of Plum Blossom Inn were attacked by the spirit beasts, we can wait in advance near the residences of those regulars.'

The sect leader also agreed with Cheong-ra's idea. Fortunately, two of the regulars of Plum Blossom Inn were still alive. They decided to split into two groups and ambush near their homes, and luckily, the spirit beast seemed to be approaching the side where Cheong-ra was hiding.

Placing his hand on the sword hilt, Cheong-ra slowly opened the warehouse door. It was a huge bear with shiny golden fur, just as the Dragon Gate Sect martial artist had described. Holding his breath, Cheong-ra slowly drew his sword. The white blade glinted in the darkness, harboring murderous intent. When the spirit beast, who had sensed the smell first, flinched and turned around, Cheong-ra's sword was already extending forward like lightning.

Moonlight Flashing Sword.

It was a terrifyingly fast sword strike, like moonlight flashing, befitting his nickname. He specialized in swift swordsmanship and often fought against the enemies of the underworld at night. The darker the opponent's vision, the more advantageous his swift sword became. Thus, he earned the nickname Moonlight Flashing Sword because whenever moonlight shone in the darkness, enemies would fall.

However, unlike ordinary humans, the spirit beast had keen night vision. Although the tip of Cheong-ra's sword pierced the skin, the spirit beast nimbly dodged, so unfortunately, the depth was shallow. However, Cheong-ra didn't show any surprise or disappointment and calmly stabbed again.

The spirit beast, unexpectedly ambushed and even wounded, let out a rough cry. Despite bleeding from the pierced shoulder, its movements became even swifter, unaffected by the injury. The bear roared as it raised its body and charged at Cheong-ra, slamming its front paws on the ground.

Dodging would be the best course of action, but instead of doing so, Cheong-ra stood his ground. If he dodged now, there was a high probability that the bear would escape.

No matter how skilled an expert was, there was no way to withstand such a powerful collision. Instead, Cheong-ra dove into the spirit beast's embrace. Cheong-ra's sword trajectory drew a path like lightning in the dark space. The startled bear twisted its body belatedly, but it was already after the inner thigh of its hind leg had been deeply slashed.

This wound seemed to have dealt a significant blow to the spirit beast, as its roar sounded different from before. Cheong-ra leisurely stepped and dodged the attacks from the bear's swinging front paws. When the heavily panting spirit beast was looking around to escape, torches were lit in all directions, and martial artists revealed themselves. Their shouts to suppress the spirit beast's momentum were resounding.

They had all formed a formation, holding spears to block the spirit beast's escape route. On the other hand, the junior brothers, including Lim Jeong, each held bows from all directions. The bowstrings moved according to the spirit beast's movements, becoming taut as if they would be released at any moment.

The startled spirit beast panted roughly. Its dazed gaze soon turned to Cheong-ra, becoming terrifyingly clear. It had instinctively grasped who was the strongest in this situation.

Sensing the crisis, the spirit beast greatly puffed up its fur. Realizing that it couldn't easily escape unlike usual, it threateningly bared its sharp teeth. The martial artists closed their mouths with tense faces at the terrifying murderous intent.

Soon, the spirit beast charged at Cheong-ra. It was an agility that was hard to believe coming from such a huge body. However, Cheong-ra was even faster. He dodged the giant front paw swinging through the air and swung his sword. The tip of the sword moved sharply, tearing the skin, and blood splattered.

The spirit beast, in pain from the wound, became agitated and rampaged, rushing to one side. Then, the martial artists in formation simultaneously thrust their spears. As the bear flinched to avoid being stabbed by the spears, an arrow shot by Lim Jeong grazed its skin menacingly. Seizing the opportunity, Cheong-ra's sword also pierced and slashed its back.

In an instant, the spirit beast's wounds increased, and it thrashed even more violently. In contrast, Cheong-ra calmly stepped and dodged the attacks, gradually increasing the number of wounds one by one. The Dragon Gate Sect's martial artists with spears prevented it from escaping, while Lim Jeong and the junior brothers provided timely assistance by shooting arrows.

Cheong-ra clicked his tongue, not wanting to kill the unspeakable beast in such a painful way. It would be good to stab the head or heart at once to kill it, but the opponent's endurance was too strong for that.

"You should have stayed in the mountains. Why did you come down here and harm people?"

Unlike his regretful muttering, Cheong-ra sharpened his sword. Now that he had almost grasped the spirit beast's movements, he intended to end its life as quickly as possible. Just as his sword was about to slowly draw the trajectory of the Heavenly Cloud Twelve Illusion Sword...

"Everyone is busy bear hunting in the middle of the night."

A voice filled with internal energy reached everyone's ears. The tip of Cheong-ra's sword stopped upon hearing the familiar voice. From the darkness on the other side, a man slowly revealed himself. It was Dang Ran-yeong.